This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present disclosure, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
Arc faults can cause system failures, shock hazards, and fires in photovoltaic (PV) and other direct-current (DC) systems such as microgrids. Arc faults can also be present in small-scale residential ac power system as well as large-scale utility power systems and can pose significant threats to human safety and property. As such, the PV industry faces significant concerns about liability and the impact upon wide-spread adoption of photovoltaic energy. Thus, arc fault detection is extremely important for the reliable and safe operation of PV systems.
Typical arc fault detectors are configured to only respond to series arc faults in alternating current (AC) circuits. DC electrical arcs in PV systems can be caused by loose electrical connections (series arc fault) or by conductors secured to a mounting frame becoming abraded due to thermal expansion, vibration, nesting rodents, or failure within the PV modules (parallel arc fault).
In addition to detecting arc faults, it would be useful to detect arc flashes, which may be the pre-fault (before a sustained arc forms) events of sparking and dielectric breakdown, and which may only last for a short duration (such as less than a second) but may serve as an early indicator of insidious arc faults.
As such, there is a need for a method and system that can detect arc faults and flashes in both AC and DC electrical systems.